Arizona football: 5 candidates to replace Rich Rodriguez

4. Todd Graham – Former Arizona State head coach

Despite a solid overall record and a continued cultivation of assistant coaches that have moved on to head coaching jobs, Graham was deemed unworthy of continuing to be Arizona State’s head coach in favor of Herm Edwards. It would be weird to hire the coach fired so recently by your primary rival, but Graham stands out as one of the better candidates available and Arizona has to at least see about an interview.

Graham gained a worthy reputation as a job jumper earlier this decade, coaching at three schools (Tulsa, Pitt and Arizona State) in a three-year span (2010-2012). But he spent six years in Tempe and did not leave when there may have been opportunities to do so after back-to-back double-digit win seasons in 2013 and 2014. A recent downturn, with an 18-20 record over the last three seasons and a 12-15 mark in Pac-12 play, probably explains why Graham did not surface for another head coaching job after being fired by Arizona State.

Graham may also look forward to an opportunity to take on  Arizona State, if only to prove he’s a better coach than Edwards to anyone that questions it (including athletic director Ray Anderson). Arizona can take advantage of that motivation, along with Graham’s ability to find capable assistant coaches.